they do look like truffles...only smaller...marble size.
oh dear, now I need chocolate.
when I am looking at a marked down plant, I look at a couple of things..the leaves and what I can see on top of the bark..and whats underneath..I have no problem at all at tipping the plant out of it's pot to see whats going on with the roots.Most of the time the orchids are in a fancy ceramic (coffin!) pot . But inside is usually a plastic pot. If the gods are smiling then it's clear plastic,
otherwise, it's black or green. If the leaves look fat and happy, if there are still dead flowers on top of the bark, then I am hopeful, if
the plant is in sphagnum moss and it is dry , I'm even more hopeful. If I can see that the plant is totally encapsulated with the moss, I may get concerned and start picking around investigating, once you learn what a good root looks like, it's pretty easy to spot. Mostly, those plants get too much water at the store and the roots rot off. like everyone has said it's too much trouble, especially if space is a concern,to try and rescue them. Some plants also go dormant after they bloom and your plant maybe one of those.
